Sill lights up Roman Baths

The Heritage Services section of Bath & North East Somerset Council has specified Sill Lighting at the Roman Baths in the city of Bath. Heritage Services managers sought to replace life-expired lighting and to conserve energy, whilst at the same time improving interpretation and making a visit to the site a more dynamic experience for daytime visiting and evening events. The lighting scheme is part of a larger project to improve conservation and interpretation at this world-famous site at the heart of the City of Bath World Heritage Site.
Sill Lighting was selected because it provided a sympathetic, efficient and cost effective lighting solution. Iain Johnston, Facilities Manager for the Council’s Heritage Services, commented: “We liked the effect Sill had created on other prestigious sites, such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. After inviting three companies to submit quotes, we awarded Sill the contract because they created a bespoke solution that best fitted with our requirements.”
Sill understood that any lighting solution would have to be sympathetic to the historic ambience of the Great Bath and appreciated that the area was not only a major tourist attraction but also a scheduled ancient monument. Following a brief from Heritage Services, Sill devised a lighting solution that had minimal effect on the fabric of the site. The lighting was also designed to be robust enough to withstand the high humidity generated by the naturally hot water that flows into the Great Bath from the thermal spring nearby.
Designers at Sill used the company’s 020 series projectors, which are compact in size and can be used to produce different optical distributions. Sill was able to incorporate the lights into the site’s existing wiring points, causing minimal disruption to the area. The light fittings were grouped and mounted directly onto extended gear enclosures using pan and tilt mounting brackets, providing both vertical and horizontal adjustments. Each group consisted of three or four wide beam 35 watt projectors, while selected groups had an additional switched narrow beam 70 watt fitting for the purpose of highlighting specific displays or artefacts.
As a result of the new installation, the total electrical load of the lighting has been reduced from over 12,000 watts to just 2,760 watts. The efficiency of the lighting and the longevity of the scheme have also been greatly increased with the new installation.
Heritage Services managers are delighted with the results. Iain Johnston said: “The new lighting reflects a truer colour, showing this historically important site to its best advantage. The wattage is less than 25% of that of the original lighting, equating to substantial savings in electricity consumption. Sill has provided a particularly imaginative lighting solution, which offers great flexibility. We can choose to adjust the lighting to pick up archways and different features, and the results are spectacular.”